Car and produce chilling system



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D. E. MYERS CAR AND PRODUCE CHILLING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 12, 1952 June 2, 1953 ATTOENEY.

Patented June 2, 1953 UNITED STATES iZA-T ENT F F I 2,640,328

CAR AND PRoDUoE CHILLING SYSTEM David E. Myers, Shell Beach, Calif.

Application February 12, 1952, SerialNo. 2i'1,693' a Glairiisr (01; 62- 19) partments or ice bunkers at its opposite ends;

"rominimize the refrigeration requir'enie'i'its' in transit, the produce is usually prechill'ed in a manner initially reducing its temperature to or near the refrigeration temperature Such pre chilling is often accomplished by cooling of the individual produce containing boxes before they are loaded into the railroad" car;

An important objectof the presentinvention is to provide improved prechi-lling methods and apparatus which serve to initially cool both the produce and the car; and-which'do-so amarmer minimizing their reheating before closure and sealing of the car for travel. A: will appear, these results are achieved by first loadingthe boxed produce intothe carwithout precool i n' andthen'introdhcing cold water into the ear" in amounts to completely immerse the produce; thus thoroughly chill both the produce and car: As will appear, the Water is introduced into-the can at a first location, and then- Withdrawn at a; location ofi'set longitudinally of the" car from its point of introduction, so that the cooling} water is circulated longitudinal-137 ofthe car and through the load. The cooling effectmay be maximized. by: first filling the car to a= desired level and then, while maintaining the car filled tot thatllevelr creating: acirculation of the water along-r. a closed: path. extending: longitudinally through: the: car and: through a; water eooling refrigeration unitatthe outside-of the' c'ar: After the: produce and cartemperature have been lowered by this circulatiom toa; predetermined value, the water may be drained from the can; ice filled" into the bunkers, and the car sealed for travel. Thus; thereis"-l'ittle opportunity for reheating of the car: and produce before the car is sealed.

To? attaima mostieifective circulation orvrater longitudinally through: the: camthef water: iSipfif erably; introduced into the car through one? of: the: end; ice. bunkers, and;v is then withdrawn throughztherdrai'n oonne'ction of theothe'r bunker.- Aicirculatinginump isprovided fo'r pumping 'waten" throughiariexternali refrigeratmg; unit into the;

2 suction from either an external source of water (for initial filling of the car) Ofthe car di ge line from the Opposite bunker (fdi' eiieifl'atioh after the filling operation).

The above and other features and objects of the" present invention will be be'tti' iilidi st't ioii' from the following detailed description of the typical embodiment illustrated in the sitcompanying'drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view showing a railroad car prechillingsystem embodying theinvefit'iofi, the being shown in longitudinal sectio' and the prechilling equipment being represented stii'einau cally; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse section; through the drain portion or the Fig; 1' car" aim taken on line 2-2 of'tha't" figure. v

In Fig. 1, I have shown at [U' a conventional elongated refrigerated box car; having the usual wheel assemblies n, end Walls" [2; sidewalls is;

and top and'bottom walls and I5. The iriterior' of thecar I0 is divided a paifof ref erably slatted transverse partitions ['6 into a main relatively long load-receiving; coifip "t ment- IT and a pair of smaller end compartments or bunkers l8an'd 19 for receiving ice to' refrigerate the was in tra'nsit. Main comparemen't' IT has the usual slatted floor 2o s aea above the" bottom Wall I5 0f, theioell'l afid ice;

bunkers l8 and" W may have similarly elevated ice supporting and" discontinuous floors formed by a number of spaced" pa'r'allef icesuppor rig? angle irons 2|. Access Iiia'y'behadto the'inia'ifi compartment I! through openings 2'2ir'i' the side walls of the car, which openings are closed by doors The ice bunkers rs and r9 are ate'essible through a pair of top openings 2'4" and closed by doors'z-eand 21.

- 'Ihe' precooling apparatus oi the present in"- vention includes. a waterfcliillingunit is; say

mg a cooling" chamber Y'Tthro'ugh which passesbefore delivery to" the car; Water may" enter cooiin'gchambei zati reugii an inlet which communicate swim a" suitable" s'our of water and is controlled by iiilet valve a]:

As water passes through chamber 2'9; mien g'ro'uridi'ce s2 is redmwirrrom' another 33' byi' a1 screw-s4, which is driven in anyisuitam manner, as'bya motor The ice intimately. mixes-with and" chills the inlet water, which in its cooled-- condition is withdrawn from the chamber by apump 36;. and then forced through flexible" hose 3:7 and a: carried valve controlled" outlet n'oz'zle' 38 into 'oneof the end :icebunkers lflof the ca firsttbunkers, andais agdapteditorselectively take?" 5 As indiea;ted==in Fig- 1 4 105831 i li6$ifi0fifi for filling the car by merely inserting its nozzle end into the bunker l 8 through its upper access opening 24. To prevent the passage of ice from the cooling chamber to the pump and car, the cooling chamber may contain a screen 39 extendin across the outlet leading to the pump.

In refrigerated cars of the type illustrated, it is customary to provide a number of drain outlet Openings in the bottom l5 of the car, there usually being four such outlet openings 40 located near the four corners respectively of the car and beneath the ice bunkers l8 and I9. When a car load is being chilled in accordance with the present invention, it is desirable to circulate the cooling water longitudinally through the car; and therefore the drain openings 40, beneath the bunker I8 into which the water is filled, are closed against water discharge, as by a pair of closure plugs 41. The water is thus required to leave the car through the drain openings 43 at its opposite end, into which are connected a Y-fitting 42 leading into a conduit 43 which conducts water from the car back to the cooling chamber 28. The discharge of water from the car through fitting 42 and conduit 43 may be closed off by a valve 44 connected into the fitting.

In preparing a car for travel in accordance with the present invention, the produce containing boxes 45 are first progressively loaded into the car compartment I I through its side opening 22 until a desired load has been assembled. The side doors of the car are then closed, hose 31 and its nozzle 38 are inserted into one of the ice bunkers l8 and a drain fitting 42 is connected into the drain outlets beneath the opposite bunker I 9. For initial filling of the car, valve 44 is closed to prevent the drainage of water from the car, and valve 3! is opened to admit water from a supply into cooling chamber 29. The nozzle valve 33 of filling hose 31 is of course opened to admit water into the car With the valves in this condition, ice is filled into hopper 33, and the ice feeding motor 35 and pump 33 are placed in operation. The pump then acts to draw water through inlet 30 and cooling chamber 29 and to discharge it through hose 31 into ice bunker 18. As the water is drawn through the cooling chamber, the ice fed into the chamber'by screw 34 thoroughly chills the water. The valves are maintained in their filling condition until the water within the car rises to a level completely immersing the boxed produce load, so that heat may be transmitted directly from the boxes and produce of the load to the water. When the water has reached such an immersing level, as for instance that shown in Fig. 1, valve M is opened and valve 3| is closed, so that the pump and cooling chamber take their suction from the car through fitting 42 and conduit 43, rather than through inlet 30 leading from the external water supply. Thereafter, the operation of pump 35 acts to maintain a continuous circulation of cooling water from the cooling chamber 29 through hose 3! into bunker I8, then longitudinally through the car and produce to outlet fitting 42, and finally through conduit i3 back to the cooling chamber. During such circulation, the chilled water thoroughly cools the produce, boxes, and car walls, while the cooling unit 28 at the same time acts to continuously cool the water. is continued for a period suificient to reduce the load and car temperatures to desired values, after which the motor 35 and pump 38 are stopped, and thewater is drained from the car by open- The circulation ing of a drain valve 46 in a drain spout 41 leading from conduit 43. After the car has been completely drained, hose 31, drain plugs 4i and Y-fitting 42 are disconnected from the car, ice 18 is filled into bunkers l8 and i9, and the bunker doors 26 and 21 are closed, so that the ice acts to maintain the low temperature of the air and load within the car in transit.

I claim:

1. The method of precooling an elongated railroad box car and a contained boxed produce load that comprises filling cold water into said car at a location near a first end thereof and to a level immersing said load, and withdrawing said water from the car at the second end thereof to create a circulation of cooling water longitudinally within the car.

2. The method of precooling an elongated railroad box car and a contained boxed produce load that comprises filling cold water into said car to a level immersing said load, creating a circulation of said water along a closed path extending first longitudinally within the car and then along a return course at the outside of the car, refrigerating said circulating water at the outside of the car, and finally draining said water from the car.

3. The method of precooling a railroad box car having an elongated main compartment containing a boxed produce load and having a communicating end refrigerant compartment, that comprises filling cold water into the car through said refrigerant compartment and to a level immersing said produce, and then draining the water from the car.

4. The method of precooling a railroad car having a main compartment containing a boxed produce load and having refrigerant bunkers at opposite ends communicating with said main compartment, that comprises filling cold water into said car through one of said bunkers and to a level immersing said load, creating a circulation of said water along a closed path extending longitudinally of the car from said one bunker to the second, and then along a return course at the outside of the car back to said one bunker, refrigerating said circulating water at the outside of the car, and then draining said water from the car at said second bunker.

5. The method of precooling an elongated railroad box car and a contained boxed produce load that comprises filling cold water into said car to a level immersing said load, draining said water from the car, and then refrigerating the air remaining in said car by means other than said water.

6. The method of loading a railroad refrigerator car having a main compartment and an end ice bunker that comprises progressively filling boxes of produce into said main compartment to form a load, filling cold water into the car to a level immersing and chilling said produce, draining said water from the car, and then filling ice into said bunker to maintain the produce is said chilled condition.

'7. The combination comprising a railroad car containing a main compartment adapted to receive a boxed produce load and containing a pair of ice bunkers at opposite ends and communicating with said main compartment, a refrigerating unit at the outside of said car adapted to cool water to be fed to the car, conduit means directing cold water from said unit into one of said ice bunkers to flow therefrom through the main compartment and into the other ice bunker, said car having drain outlet means at the bottom of each of said bunkers, means closing the drain means at the bottom of said one bunker, second conduit means leading from the drain means at the bottom of said other bunker to said refrigerating unit to permit a continuous circulation of water through said conduit means and unit and longitudinally through the car, valve means in said conduit means for closing off drainage from the car and causing said cold water to accumulate in the car to a level immersing and chilling the boxed produce, means for placing said unit in communication with a. supply of water to receive water therefrom .when said valve means .are closed, and a pump connected into one of said DAVID E. MYERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,478,471 Dowding Dec. 25, 1923 1,931,623 Robertson Oct. 24, 1933 2,214,975 Stebbins Sept. 17, 1940 

